


Save tonight

by 1tadakimasu, 206LazyBones, N_Writer, Nenchen, shit_all_good_names_are_taken, vodkatan



Series: Dystopictale [3]
Category: Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Dancetale, Alternative Universe - Dystopictale, F/M, Female Reader, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader has a bernese mountain dog named Growlithe, Reader-Insert, Sans is so shy I want to squeal, Slow Burn, Starts as a slice of life but don't u worry the apocalypse will happen soon enough, Sub Sans, This will have smut sooner or later just saying, Will have quite a lot of blood and violence later on, because zombie apocalypse, reader can't dance at all, smol sans - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-09-23 15:19:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9663311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1tadakimasu/pseuds/1tadakimasu, https://archiveofourown.org/users/206LazyBones/pseuds/206LazyBones, https://archiveofourown.org/users/N_Writer/pseuds/N_Writer, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nenchen/pseuds/Nenchen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/shit_all_good_names_are_taken/pseuds/shit_all_good_names_are_taken, https://archiveofourown.org/users/vodkatan/pseuds/vodkatan
Summary: You are (Y/N), an average girl, living an average life with your pet dog you named Growlithe in an average apartment, working in an average fast food restaurant.Being awkward and clumsy, you managed not to get a date for years now, which ended in you having instant-crushes on random people that caught your eye.Including a dancer you saw in the dark, on the way back home from your shift. You never saw his face but just had to fawn over him.And a bassist that lives a few streets across from you.And a short skeleton monster that one day appeared at your work with his younger brother you already managed to baffle with your bullshit before.Your life used to be the average life of a young adult, but then it turned into the average zombie movie.Yep. Zombies.





	1. Dancer in the dark

Another shitty day at work. Your feet hurt, your head was aching, and whoever claimed that ‘there are no stupid questions’ seriously never had to talk to many other people. 

You, working in a fast food restaurant, can positively confirm that, indeed there are things like stupid questions. Sadly you had bills to pay, and finding a job was hard nowadays, so you were stuck in there. At least the pay was decent. Decent enough to afford having a dog.

Speaking of, you inwardly groaned, knowing that you’ll have to walk him as soon as you are home. All you wanted to do was drop dead in your bed.

It was cold, it was dark, and you were tired. Why did you have a dog again?

Oh, right. You didn’t want to be alone, and you trusted a dog more than a stranger to be your roomie.

He was lucky he was so adorable and fluffy, otherwise- shit. 

Your cell phone just ran out of battery. So no more music for the rest of the walk back home. You sighed, cursing at yourself for not having it charge fully before you went to work or at least turned it off during the shift.

But then, you heard something. Music. Echoing through the alleyways. Curious, you followed the sound, ignoring how fucking creepy the damn alleys are in the dark. And how dumb it was to enter them alone at night. You just needed to know who would play music here, and why? Maybe a secret party?

You heard other sounds as you got closer; someone moving around furiously, it seemed like. You were pretty close now, and leaned against a wall, peeking around the corner.

And what you saw, simply took your breath away.

In your sight was a pretty small person, head covered by a hood; dancing. You assumed it was a guy, and damn- he was good. Those moves were out of this world, and to be honest, you usually hated hip hop music. But this was blowing your mind. You couldn’t stop staring.

If only you could see him better, it was so dark, you weren’t even sure if they were a guy. Honestly, guy or girl, that person would still be equally hot; just from the fact they could dance like this. But no one can get offended for getting their gender assumed if you just don’t talk to them.

You wouldn’t even know what to say to the dancer, if you were to get closer, or to be noticed. You would probably just seem incredibly awkward and do something embarrassing. 

Suddenly he stopped; it seemed like he was looking in your direction. Did he notice you?  
Fuck no please, you wanted to watch him longer! But he was packing his things and running away. The fact he just climbed over a fence ala parkour was just adding to the hot vibe this guy was sending all over the place.

Welp, you will probably never see him again, that’s for sure. Damn. But fine, you had to rush back home anyway. Your dog needs to get outside, and you need to eat and sleep.  
Let’s just hope you won’t fantasize over this person all night. You had more than enough sleepless nights over weird instant crushes. Like that one bassist of a garage band you saw every now and then; his hair so long you couldn’t tell what his face looked like, yet so freaking talented you couldn’t help but fawn over him. You already knew that there is only one thing you were looking for in a person: talent in something. Great talent.

Probably because the only talents you had were the abilities to always be kind, no matter how much someone annoys you. And that you were the awkward comic relief in groups; sometimes talking so fast you stumble over words, or embarrassing yourself trying to throw a cool one-liner or make a joke. 

 

The moment you opened the door, your bernese mountain dog, Growlithe, nearly tackled you over; wagging his tail in excitement, ever so happy that you were back.

You giggled, ruffling his fur, and cooing sweet things to your loyal pet. He barked, licked your face, and then rushed into the kitchen. Well, message received and understood. So food first, then a walk, then bed. Your growling stomach only agreed to the change of plans.

You picked up Growlithe’s food bowl and filled it. He patiently waited for you to put it back down. Such a good dog. It was weird how obedient and well behaved he was for a dog you never went to training with. You sometimes asked your neighbours to watch him and walk him when you knew you’d have horrible shifts, and he never caused any trouble. He didn’t refuse to get bathed, he never destroyed any furniture, nor was he aggressive towards strangers. 

The only thing that could count as flaw is that he was not aware of how big and heavy he was; tackling and licking everyone he liked, or just jumping on your lap when you’re sitting on the couch. Adorable dork.

One of the benefits of working in a fast food restaurant, and mostly having the end shift, was that when the restaurant closes and there is still food left, the employees are allowed to take it with them. So you didn’t have to cook anything and just placed two burgers into the microwave.

You felt the desire to sit down on the couch while eating and watch TV. But with your feet were still killing you, you knew if you sat now, you wouldn’t want to get up again to walk Growlithe. So eating while standing it was. Growlithe already finished his bowl and looked at you nomming on a burger, wagging his tail. You couldn’t resist, and gave him half of the meat. He licked your hand before eating it. Such a good boy. Wait, ew, now your hand smelled like dog food.

After finishing your second burger, you casually walked up to the door again, Growlithe already making excited noises, scratching on the door. Leash on, jacket on, all set.  
While walking him and hiding your nose in the collar of your jacket- it was getting pretty chilly alright- your mind wandered back to that dancer you saw earlier. The flowing, precise moves, fitting the song perfectly, as if he was born for nothing else but to dance. You mentally scolded yourself for not having the coolness and charm to just randomly walk up to him and ask for his number. You would have made a dork out of yourself. Yeah, you suck at flirting.

It seemed like Growlithe was all done. He was just sitting down in front of you, looking at you with a tilted head, not interrupting you standing in the middle of the sidewalk and thinking about this person. One especially cold gust of wind hitting you, causing you to shiver, was what made you come back to earth.

 

“Oh, you already finished, boy? Alright, let’s get back home, Growlithe.”

 

Back home, you didn’t even have the energy to change into something more comfortable. You just took off your bra and shoes, flopping into the bed, the stench of fried food all over you, and fell into a deep slumber. You dreamed of a dancer in the moonlight.

 

The merciless ringing of your alarm clock, plus the weight of a giant dog on top of you, licking your face, was how almost every day of yours began. You didn’t have to go to your shift before afternoon, but you wanted to get up early nevertheless to take a shower and do responsible adult stuff; sitting on the couch, watching TV, and ordering food online.

You saw that a new pizzeria had opened up, and had a big opening discount. Perfect!  
To be honest, you were too embarrassed to order your pizza at your regular restaurants, because you tend to have weird ingredients on it, and also do stupid requests.

Grinning like a dork, you filled out the additional request block, and hit send. You always preferred to pay cash, you knew how the delivery guys needed the tips. They also freaking deserve it because sometimes you request weird things from them, like drawing dicks on the box, or yodelling instead of ringing the doorbell. You can be a weird dipshit alright.

The pizza would take about 30 minutes, and you took the chance to quickly walk Growlithe again. Shower can wait; who cares if you smell like burgers when walking your dog.

You caught yourself staring into alleyways now, as if a part of you was hoping to see that dancer again. You and your weird insta-crushes.

Growlithe found a huge stick that he was proudly carrying around. It was cute how he failed again and again to get it up the small stairway into your apartment. As clever as he is, he can be just as stupid sometimes. But adorable-stupid. You eventually had to take the stick and carry it inside yourself. If it makes him happy, let him have the stick.

10 Minutes left, that was enough time to get a quick shower. Unless the delivery guy is a maniac behind the whee-

_RRRRRRRRING_

Okay, he _is_ a maniac behind the wheel. Growlithe excitedly jumped back on his feet, taking the stick in his mouth and running to the door, wagging his tail, as if he wanted to proudly present his new treasure to the stranger.

You opened the door and were baffled for a moment. In front of you was a very tall skeleton monster. You didn’t even know there were skeleton monsters. Sure, the monsters came aboveground a while ago, and you saw quite a lot every now and then, but this looked pretty much like an almost anatomically correct, human skeleton, so it did startle you for a brief moment.

The skeleton just beamed at you with a wide grin? Was it grinning? Or did its jaw always look like this?

“GREETINGS, HUMAN! YOU HAVE ORDERED A MEDIUM PIZZA WITH ANY KIND OF MEAT, LOTS OF ONIONS, GARLIC AND HALF OF IT WITH ADDITIONAL TUNA, YES?”

He had a very loud and excited voice, and you imagined that Growlithe would sound like this if he had a voice. Speaking off, you totally forgot he stood there, too. Growlithe gave muffled barks, trying to get the monster’s attention, then getting on his hind legs and pawing at the skeleton’s chest, whining.

“OH, HELLO THERE, DOG! WHAT A NICE STICK YOU HAVE THERE!”, he beamed, somehow perfectly able to keep his balance with your heavy dog pushing against him. Pleased with the reaction, Growlithe got back on all fours, sniffed the monster’s hand, and then ran back inside.

“Sorry for Growlithe randomly jumping on you and demanding your attention, some people really dislike it.”

“THAT IS NO PROBLEM, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM VERY PLEASED WITH THE FRIENDLINESS OF THE DOG. MOST DOGS ONLY WANT TO NIBBLE ON MY BONES!”

Well, you guessed that would happen. He is a skeleton after all. Thank god Growlithe was such a good boy and had a stick to play with.

“AH, ALSO! ABOUT YOUR REQUEST, I MUST SAY I AM NOT TOO FOND OF IT, BUT EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN TASTE IN COMEDY.”

“Don’t you mean ‘font’?”, you replied, doing fingerguns.

He looked very confused now, blinking. How does he even blink? How is it possible he can move his bones like this?

“I mean, because your name is Papyrus, it’s a font.. like, with computers… sorry I’ll just shut up and pay you.”, you muttered, embarrassed and gave him 20 bucks. “Keep the change-”

“WHAT NO, HUMAN, THAT IS TOO MUCH-”

“Then you got to grow a spine and keep it!” you nervously blabbered again, and closed the door maybe a bit too harshly. Good job (Y/N), bad puns about bones directed at a skeleton who clearly didn’t like puns, considering your request of wanting a pizza pun on the inside of the pizza, and a drawing of a unicorn. Okay, the unicorn had nothing to do with the pun, but fuck it. 

 

The next thing you heard was “OH MY GOD!” from behind the door as Papyrus had realized what you just did. Welp, you surely won’t order pizza there again. You embarrassed yourself once more. 

But, you forgot something. He still had the pizza.

Fuck, god damn it (Y/N).

“HUMAN? YOUR PIZZA?”

Crying on the inside, you opened the door again, smashing it into your own face.. “Ouch, shit!”

 

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT, HUMAN?”

“yeah, just clumsy old me. Sorry about the, uhm.. the jokes?”

“DO NOT FRET, HUMAN! I HAVE AN OLDER BROTHER, SO I AM USED TO THIS TYPE OF HUMOR. JUST BETWEEN THE TWO OF US; I ACTUALLY ENJOY PUNS, HE JUST MAKES TOO MANY.”

Oh, good. At least you didn’t baffle him with your dirty humor and chose puns instead. It would have been hella awkward. Wait, it still is hella awkward. At least your natural talent of being completely embarrassing hasn’t struck yet. You didn’t accidentally sneeze on him, or slipped, or stumbled over your words… SO many things that could have made this worse.

Thinking about this, you didn’t realize you were just standing there, drifting into space as you looked at him, while he held the pizza towards you and tried to get your attention. He could have sworn you had wall-eyes for a brief second. Or it was just his imagination.

Finally, you realized what was going on, flushed all kinds of red about this situation, and grabbed the pizza, apologizing one final time and closing the door again.

What the hell (Y/N). Well, at least the pizza smelled good. Pizza makes everything better.  
You’ll have to use a lot of mouthwash to get rid of the garlic scent. But totally worth it. You devoured the pizza like it’s the last thing you’ll ever eat.

 

Thanks to the mouthwash, you were able to show up at work without reeking of garlic. That was one damn good pizza. Sadly you won’t have the guts to order there again. Farewell, delicious sin.

At least you won’t see Papyrus again. You wouldn’t be able to look him in the face.

But once more, luck was not on your side. Guess who just walked in, and stared at you in surprise.

_PAPYRUS._

This can’t get any worse, now can it? 

“OH HELLO, HUMAN! IS YOUR FACE FEELING BETTER FROM THE DOOR ATTACK?”  
‘Door attack?’ It didn’t attack; your idiot self just slammed it into your own face trying to open it.

Then you noticed a much smaller figure, sort of hiding behind Papyrus.

“Uhm, yeah I guess? So what can I do for you?” you tried to put on your professional face.

But the problem is…

You had no professional face.

“OH, I ONLY WANT A SALAD, I DON’T LIKE GREASY FOOD.”

If he doesn’t like greasy food, why does he work for a pizzeria and comes into this restaurant to get food?

Your confusion must have been obvious, for Papyrus added more context to his sentence. “MY BROTHER, HOWEVER, LIKES IT, SO THAT IS WHY WE ARE HERE.”

His brother? Didn’t he say his brother is the older one, why is he so small then? Even you were taller. He would barely reach your collarbone.

His brother peeks around his hiding spot behind Papyrus’ legs a little, looking at you for like two seconds, before flushing all shyly and hiding behind him again.

Okay, that was probably the most adorable thing you ever saw. He looked like a marshmallow. Even though you could only see his face for a few seconds.

“COME ON, SANS, THE HUMAN WON’T BITE! ORDER ALREADY!”, his brother tried to encourage him.

“Yeah the worst thing is me being an idiot again and hurting myself somehow.”

He mumbled something you couldn’t quite hear.

Gosh, he was so cute.

And probably either shy as hell, or scared of you. Assuming it was the latter, you tried to convince him about how much of a threat you are: none.

“You can do it, Sans, was it? If I can beat myself up with my own door trying to get a pizza after making your brother uncomfortable with a stupid joke, then you can place an order here!”

“OH YES, THE JOKE DID NOT MAKE ME UNCOMFORTABLE, HOWEVER. AS I SAID: I GOT USED TO PUNS THANKS TO SANS.”

He seemed to relax a bit, and peeked over once more. Wait, didn’t you see that hoodie somewhere?

Ah, the dancer last night. He wore the same hoodie, and was about the same size. Probably a coincidence. As if this shy little work of adorableness would be able to dance ever so sexily. Hip Hop dancers never are that shy, as far as you knew. He probably just liked the style.

“uhm… i can’t decide..”, he managed to speak loud enough for you to be able to hear it this time.

“Oh, then how about I suggest you something then?”

“i-if it’s causing no, uh, trouble..”

“Not at all. How about this?”, you said, pointing to one of the big signs behind you, informing guests about current deals, changes in the menu or other relevant content. It was a menu containing a burger, fries, a drink and a dessert in a deal.

“i don’t think I can eat that much..”

How does he even eat in the first place? He is a skeleton, doesn’t everything just fall out? You’d make sure to try spying on them eating.

“You can exchange the fries for onion rings, or I can give you a doggie bag to take whatever is left over with you?”

“WOWIE HUMAN THAT IS A GOOD IDEA! BUT I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS!”

Oh boy here we go. You nodded at him, showing you’re listening.

“FIRST, I SADLY DID NOT REMEMBER YOUR NAME FROM WHEN I BROUGHT YOU THAT GARLIC AND MEAT BOMB, WOULD YOU MIND SHARING IT AGAIN?”

You blinked, then pointed at your name tag, telling them your last name. You saw Sans move his mouth a bit, as if he was silently repeating that name to memorize it. As if they were planning on coming here more often. Shit, more opportunities to make a total ass out of yourself. This far it seemed like luck was on your side for once.

“BUT ISN’T THAT YOUR LAST NAME? I AM TRYING TO BEFRIEND AS MANY HUMANS AS POSSIBLE AND CALLING YOUR FRIEND THEIR LAST NAME IS NOT REALLY FRIEND-ISH.”

He wants to be friends? Sure, why not. That might even make you seem less derpy, and fun to hang around with.

“(Y/N).”

Once more, Sans moved his mouth, repeating the word, looking anywhere but at you.  
“I WILL MAKE SURE TO REMEMBER THAT NAME! SO MY SECOND QUESTION IS DOES THIS RESTAURANT HAVE A YARD?”

You saw Sans shaking, as if he was trying to hold back laughs. What the fuck Papyrus, why would you want to know that?

“No, why?”

“BECAUSE YOU ARE SELLING MILKSHAKES HERE! SANS TOLD ME IF A FEMALE HUMAN HAS A MILKSHAKE, IT BRINGS ALL THE MALE ONES TO THE YARD???”

This was so pure, the confusion on his face almost made you feel bad for bursting into laughter like this. Sans giggled slightly, still fighting his urge to laugh out loud, too.

“pap’s you’re the best.” he managed to say between giggles; and you were still howling with laughter. This officially made your day.

Yet you still felt bad for laughing at him like this, so for that, you gave them free milkshakes after you made sure no one was watching. 

The moment of truth. You could only see Sans’ back, but you would still be able to see what it looks like when Papyrus eats. He opened his mouth, moved the fork into it and- gone.

It was just gone. He did chew, but as he gulped, you did not see anything go down his vertebrae or something. You weren’t even sure if that was swallowing to begin with. Did the food just vanish inside his mouth? 

One of the other employees you got along well with joined you without you noticing, trying to follow your line of sight, and completely misinterpreting your staring. You didn’t even notice her before she suddenly appeared in your sight, walking up to the skeletons with a napkin and something written on it.

Wait, no, what are you doing?

_She is talking to them._

_They are looking at you._

_Papyrus seems overly excited, Sans seems to cringe, or tries to hide himself as good as possible inside the hoodie._

_Your coworker gives Sans the napkin and comes back._

_Papyrus looks at you, waving excitedly. Sans was frozen, probably in horror._

“What the hell did you do?”, you whisper-shouted at your coworker Priscilla. 

“I just helped you (Y/N)! You can’t always fawn over people from afar, you need a date girl!”

Now you started to panic.

“WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?”

“Gave the small one your number..?”

Oh god. No. Why did you ever give Priscilla your number. Why did she do this?

Followed with internal screaming, you just walked to the backside of the restaurant, needing a minute to calm down the employee’s bathroom. You sat down, digging your face in your hands, creating inhumane, flustered and embarrassed noises.

When you returned, you dared to take a look at the table they sat in.

Sans and Papyrus were gone. So was the napkin with your number.

They probably threw it away. You repeated that in your mind over and over as you finished your shift, and on the way back home. You weren’t listening to music on your cellphone this time, you put it on vibrate and kept it in your bag, trying to stay away from that thing to forget, or at least process, this. Papyrus wanted to be friends with you. How would that work now that they think you were trying to hit on the older brother?

You didn’t even know if you actually wanted them to message you or not. What was worse? The idea of them throwing it away, or keeping it to actually talk to you? Because, you had to admit, he was cute. Very cute.

His great talent was being adorable. 

Shit. You were crushing. Maybe Priscilla was right, you needed a damn boyfriend and you need to stop randomly crushing on people you barely knew.  
That was the reason why you didn’t even try to look if the dancer was back, you just muted the world around you by humming your favourite song until you got home.

Growlithe was already at the door, tackling you as you opened it, licking your face. Then he stopped, looking at you with a tilted head, and began whining and sniffing your face. 

What? Can he smell your embarrassment? Can he smell how much you want this day to just end?  
He got down from you, still whining. You pet his head gently and walked into the kitchen, filling his bowl and getting yourself a bucket of ice-cream. It was too frozen to eat right away, so you decided to let it defrost slightly while you walk Growlithe. Then just just curl into a fetal position on your couch, watch TV. The ice-cream would hopefully help you handle this situation.

Growlithe finished his food, looking at you again with a tilted head. He was worried about you.

“Come on Growlithe, let’s take a walk,”, you just muttered, walking back to the front door to put on your jacket and get his leash. Growlithe whined one last time, then got his stick and ran back to you. He sure grew to love the stick. You had to take it in your hand on the way outside, and afterwards on the way back inside. You only had to work again tomorrow, then you’d have two days off to spend with your fluffy companion.

Growlithe joined you on the couch, his head on your lap as you began to eat the ice-cream and watch some cartoons. You were feeling like you’re trying to get over a break-up here, even though you haven’t had one in a few years by now. Ever since, it was just you, and an adorable puppy you got as a christmas gift from your concerned parents. Instead of a crazy cat lady, you will be a crazy dog lady.

You almost ate all of the ice-cream, when you heard a sound that made a shiver run down your spine. Your cellphone vibrated. You received a text message from someone.

_’Ignore it’_

Another Text message.

_’Probably just Priscilla or something.’_

Growlithe looks at you, then at your bag on the kitchen counter where your cellphone was in.

“.. Growlithe don’t.”

Too late. He got up and got the bag in his mouth, bringing it to you and looking ever so proud. _Look Human I got your bag for you so you don’t have to stand up._

“....Uh, thanks I guess.” You sighed, petting his head, and grabbing your cell phone, unlocked the screen.


	2. Dancer in the club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Crushing intensifies-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prince: Hey, guys, sorry about the wait! I’m Ving’s proof reader, and so things were waiting on me. Been busy with work. Enjoy the chapter, I know I did. <3

You stared at your inbox. Two messages from two different, unknown numbers. You were a little bit scared of opening them.

But what is the worst thing that could happen? Actually, nothing too bad that could be in there.

So, you opened the first message. It was written in all caps, obviously Papyrus.

Unknown Number: GOOD EVENING, HUMAN! YOUR FRIENDLY COWORKER HUMAN GAVE MY BROTHER YOUR NUMBER WHICH I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, FIND VERY CONVENIENT FOR THE FACT WE CAN NOW DEEPEN THIS NEWLY EVOLVED FRIENDSHIP, AND YOU CAN DEEPEN YOUR INTEREST IN HIM. IT WARMS MY SOUL TO KNOW SOMEONE IS INTERESTED IN HIM AT LAST.

Oh god no, Paps. Sure, you had another instant-crush on the shy little guy, but that doesn’t mean you would, like, actually try anything. He was out of your league. Everyone was. You could maybe hook up with a hobo, that would be more like your league.

You saved his number just in case, under “Tall Energetic Sunbeam.” Now onto the other message.

Unknown Number: heya, uh.. i just wanted to say hi, don’t mind me. oh, and, i know your coworker might have misunderstood a thing, so we cool. i know you don’t have, uh, like, a crush on me or anything.

Gosh, so cute. You saved him in your contacts as “Small Cute Marshmallow.” Should you reply? It’d be sorta mean if you didn’t, wouldn’t it? Like a rejection - a rejection of friendship, okay?  
So you answered both.

You: Whaddup, Papyrus! Just read your message, we should meet up sometime.

But you hesitated when you tried to answer Sans. Your finger lingered over the enter button forever, Growlithe nudging your elbow with his head as if he knew what was going on, or maybe he just wanted to get pet again.

Take a deep breath, (Y/N), and _GO._

You hit send.

You: Thank god, it was incredibly embarrassing for me.

Then, you realized that this sounded kind of harsh. Fuck, do something!

You: Oh shit.  
You: Not like you’re not my type or something!  
You: Just I don’t give random people my number after meeting them for the first time.  
You: I’ll just- I’ll go to bed now, embarrassed myself enough. Good night.

“‘Not like you’re not my type or something’... way to go, jackass.”, you scolded yourself, burying your face in Growlithe’s fur and holding back a scream. He just wagged his tail, sniffing your arm.

_Ping._

A new message from Sans.

“I know I am not your type, I am Sans.”, you read out loud. Did he just make a pun about himself? Hehe. Cute little guy.

Maybe this day wasn’t too bad after all. With that in mind, you got up, put the rest of the ice cream in the freezer, and went to sleep.

Only one more day of working, and then finally some time just for yourself and Growlithe.

Maybe, just maybe, you invite Sans and Papyrus over.

…..

Probably not. Not yet.

 

The same routine the next morning. Alarm clock, dog, walk, food and TV. You once more looked up delivery services. The pizzeria Papyrus works at still had the heavenly discount, and the pizza was too die for. But you felt more like pasta this time. You had to order food, your fridge was empty and you won’t get to buy groceries before tomorrow. It’s not like you order every day or something.

Fine, the worst thing to happen is that it’s Papyrus again. So you ordered pasta there, and yet another weird request.

‘Don’t ring, tell a knock knock joke.’

He dislikes puns, but knock knock jokes should be fine. Everyone likes knock knock jokes.

Again, time to walk your dog while you wait. Once more, Growlithe carried his stick with him, like it was the most valuable item in his life, despite the fact he had a lot of toys in his basket.

Your mood was pretty bright today, you felt as if nothing could ruin it. No matter what.

Once you were back inside, the first thing you noticed was that Growlithe needed a bath. You’ll do it after you ate, you still had enough dog shampoo for one more use.

You looked at the clock. 20 Minutes, if it was Papyrus, you should expect him to show up about now.  
You could hear footsteps, and a groan. Yep. Papyrus. According to the groan, he also disliked knock knock jokes. Oopsie.

“KNOCK KNOCK.”

Yet, this was hilarious.

“Who’s there?”

He hesitated, and Growlithe ran up to the door aswell, instantly recognizing the voice.

“CANOE.”

“Canoe who?”

“CANOE OPEN THE DOOR, PLEASE.”

You opened the door to look at a slightly uncomfortable Papyrus, yet he was smiling.  
“GREETINGS AGAIN, HUMAN! AND GREETINGS, DOG! I SEE YOU ORDERED PASTA THIS TIME. I AM VERY PLEASED WITH THIS CHOICE, FOR I AM A MASTER CHEF AT COOKING SPAGHETTI. YET I WASN’T ALLOWED TO MAKE IT...”

Growlithe once more stood on his hind legs, snuggling his head against Papyrus and whining happily. He already grew to like that skeleton, it seems. This time you took your food first, and paid 10 bucks, letting him keep the rest. This time he didn’t complain, the tip wasn’t as ridiculous this time, he just thanked you.

“BEFORE I GO, HUMAN, ONE THING?”  
“No I don’t have a yard or any milkshakes here.”

“NO, NOT THAT! SINCE WE ARE STARTING TO BECOME GOOD FRIENDS HERE, AND THE FACT YOU ARE MADLY IN LOVE WITH MY BROTHER-” Oh Jesus Papyrus no “I WANTED TO ASK YOU IF YOU ARE FREE SOMETIME THIS WEEK SO WE CAN DO WHATEVER ADULT HUMANS DO WITH THEIR FRIENDS!”

Clearing your throat, you needed a moment before you could answer.  
Sure, why not? Maybe hanging around with video games or watching some movies, you could invite them over so Sans gets to meet Growlithe.

“I actually have two days off starting tomorrow, we should discuss this later though, I need to eat, bathe Growlithe and then get ready to work.”

His eyes began sparkling in excitement, he hugged you, and then took his leave. Okay then.  
Time to dig into this pasta! It smelled heavenly, just as the pizza you had yesterday, and tasted.. well, it was okay.

You bathed the dog, blow dried his fur, and got ready for work. You plugged in your headphones to see a dozen of new messages on the screen of your cellphone. Frowning, you unlocked it before you left, checking them.

Tall Energetic Sunbeam: WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME, HUMAN? A KNOCK KNOCK JOKE? YOU AND SANS SURELY WOULD MAKE A GREAT COUPLE.

That was form before he appeared on your doorstep. ‘Make a great couple’ god damn it, Papyrus.

Tall Energetic Sunbeam: SO I HAVE TALKED TO SANS, WE WOULD BOTH BE FREE TOMORROW. TELL ME WHEN YOU ARE AVAILABLE OR MAYBE WE VISIT YOU AT YOUR WORK AGAIN!

At least Priscilla wouldn’t be there this time, she had no shift tonight. So she wouldn’t be able to read anything into that. You had to grin about the fact how “or maybe we visit you at your work again” kind of sounds like a threat.

Small Cute Marshmallow: paps just told me you forced him to do a knock knock joke  
Small Cute Marshmallow: i never managed to do that  
Small Cute Marshmallow: i am really impressed  
Small Cute Marshmallow: good job, kid  
Small Cute Marshmallow: oh, uh, sorry for disturbing you or something.

Why did he send 5 messages instead of one? That all could have fit in one.

You just wanted to open the next text but then you got a call from Priscilla. Okay what was it this time? If she is just calling to ask you if you nailed the skeleton you’re gonna punch her next time you two have a shift together. Okay, not really punch, but mentally. You answered the phone but even before you managed to say “Hello,” your coworker was interrupting you.

“Hey sorry (Y/N) but can we change shifts tonight? I have concert tickets for next week so I’d like to change my free day today with yours next week. Is that okay with you?”

So, free today, and next week only one free day. Yeah, that sounds not too bad.

“Alright, just make sure to call the restaurant before you randomly pop up okay?”

She squealed happily, wow, this killed your eardrums. But at least she was happy.  
Hanging up the phone, you looked at Growlithe and took the leash.

“Hey buddy! Guess who has a free day? Wanna go grocery shopping?”

Growlithe only saw you taking the leash and seeming to be more relaxed, so he sprinted up to you - again with the stick - and wagged his tail as if he was expecting Santa to pop up any second. Such a happy doggy. He looked up at you, waiting for you to take his stick. You did so, and left the house.

Yeah, this really was going to be a good day. You will get your grocery shopping done today, so tomorrow you will have all day to spend with your new friends. On the way to the grocery store, you texted back Papyrus and Sans after checking the other messages you forgot to check. Just a bunch from Priscilla trying to get your attention for the shift-change.

You - to Papyrus: Yo, Papyrus! I actually just got this day off, too, so I will do my chores today and then you and Sans can come over tomorrow. You guys like video games or specific movies?

You - to Sans: Yeah you should have seen his face when he did the knock knock joke. I actually didn’t knew he disliked them, too. Damn, I wish I had taken a picture.

 

Okay, maybe you bought a little too much. But at least you won’t have to buy more for the rest of the month. This should be enough even when Sans and Papyrus visit you tomorrow. It was a bit hard to additionally hold Growlithe’s leash, but it’ll work. You heard your phone buzzing in your purse again, you forgot to turn the volume back on. No way in hell you’ll be able to check it like this, you could barely keep your balance already. If Growlithe pushes the leash now, you’ll be done for.

You shouldn’t have thought about it. A young couple with another dog passed ways with you, Growlithe got excited, and you tripped, face-planting the ground. Ouch. The couple helped you up, asking you if you are okay. Well, other than your pride, nothing was hurt. 

“HUMAN, ARE YOU OKAY?”

Oh fuck no, what is Papyrus doing here???

He rushed over to your side, still wearing his working clothes, and helped you pick up your groceries. Thankfully, except for a bottle of coke, nothing broke. Papyrus quickly removed the broken bottle and handed you a few napkins to dry the other items.

“THANKFULLY I WAS AROUND TO HELP YOU AFTER YOU TRIPPED! WOULD YOU LIKE A RIDE BACK HOME?”

“I didn’t trip, that was a random gravity check. But yeah, actually, that would be nice.”  
At least you got a free ride home, even though you once more embarrassed yourself. Growlithe whined, knowing it was his fault you tripped and even offered you his beloved stick in an apology.

Oh god, that cutie. No no no, you forgave him already, he should keep his stick.

“A RANDOM GRAVITY CHECK? IS THAT A THING HUMANS DO? IT LOOKED LIKE IT HURT A LOT.”

“Yeah, it’s a dangerous job, but someone’s got to do it,” you replied amused. Papyrus really believed it. He was naive in the most adorable way.

Wow, and fucking strong. Papyrus just picked up Growlithe and carried him to the delivery car as if he weighed nothing. Growlithe just seemed to have the time of his life, looking so happy about this.

Papyrus put him on the backseat, and came to a halt. Do dogs have to get buckled up or would Growlithe be fine? He looked stressed about this, and Growlithe just happily sniffed and then licked the skeleton’s face.

You were about to pick up the grocery bags, but Papyrus snapped back to reality fast enough to suddenly appear beside you - he could run pretty fast - and pick them up for you. A real Gentlemonster, Ladies.

“Papyrus you do know I can carry them myself?”

“I KNOW, HUMAN, BUT YOU JUST FULFILLED YOUR DANGEROUS DUTY OF CHECKING THE GRAVITY SO I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WANT TO HELP YOU OUT AS MUCH AS I CAN. DO I HAVE TO PUT THE SEATBELT ON THE DOG?”

You looked at Growlithe, who just patiently laid down, wagging his tail and sniffing everything in the car.

“No, that would suffocate him. Just drive carefully and everything will be fine.”

Papyrus looked shocked now. He almost did put a seatbelt on him. Now he is sure he almost killed your pet. You put a free hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, don’t worry! Nothing happened, so it’s okay.”

He relaxed again, putting the bags in the trunk of the car. “ACTUALLY, IT IS PRETTY CONVENIENT WE GET TO MEET AGAIN BEFORE TOMORROW. I WANTED TO KNOW IF WE SHOULD BRING SOMETHING? IT’S BETTER TO TALK DETAILS OUT IN A REAL CONVERSATION, NOT OVER THE PHONE.”

Oh, good question. You gave it a thought.

“Nah, actually, I think I got everything we’d need, unless you want to watch something specific, or need something particular to eat or drink.”

“OH, AS LONG AS IT’S NOTHING GREASY, I EAT EVERYTHING. BUT SANS LIKES TO DROWN EVERYTHING IN KETCHUP.”

Ketchup? Why didn’t he ask for extra ketchup yesterday, then? Oh, nevermind. He was probably too shy to ask for additional things or ‘gross out the human with his weird needs.’

“I only have one bottle of it, so maybe bring more with you. But now that you mention it again.. if you dislike greasy food, why do you work for a pizzeria then?”

“AN EXCELLENT QUESTION, HUMAN! IN FACT, IT COMBINES TWO OF MY FOUR BIGGEST INTERESTS! I LOVE SPAGHETTI, AND I LOVE DRIVING CARS. MY BOSS SAYS IF I KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, HE WILL LET ME DO THE SPAGHETTI SOMETIME WHEN WE HIRED A SECOND DELIVERY PERSON!”

Four biggest interests? To make sure tomorrow will be good, you should ask about the other interests. Maybe you have something that combines some of them. “So, what are your other two interests?”

His eyes lit up, oh boy, he was getting excited. “WELL, DANCING AND PUZZLES, OF COURSE! I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW I AM AN EXCELLENT DANCER, JUST LIKE I AM AN EXCELLENT COOK! TRADITIONAL LATIN DANCES ARE MY SPECIALITY.”

Traditional latin dances? You looked at Papyrus, imagining him in a white satin shirt and black dress pants, with a flower in his mouth. Holy crap. You would have never thought he would be into that. Yet you heard a lot of monsters were into dancing, everyone having their own style. This only confirmed the rumors.

Could that mean that Sans dances, too? Once more, you thought about the dancer that one night. The fact Sans was about the same size, wearing the same hoodie. He can’t be the dancer, or can he? Shy little marshmallow, being one hot as hell hip hop dancer? Breakdancing like it’s the easiest thing in the world, and even able to parkour?

No, probably not. Not this little cutie. If Papyrus was into latin dances, Sans probably was into something similar, _if_ he dances at all. He probably only wore the hoodie to hide himself better.

One of your neighbours had a Wii, with some Just Dance titles. You could borrow that perhaps. You suck at dancing, but at least you would make Papyrus happy with it. And a lot of games and movies include puzzles, so satisfying that need of him will be easy.

You felt your phone buzz again in the purse on your lap. Oh right, you wanted to check it. You pulled it out, unlocking the screen. One message from Sans, one from Priscilla.  
Priscilla’s message was just a bunch of thank you’s, again for changing shifts. She really wanted to go to that concert, huh?

Sans’ message, however, was nothing but ‘knock knock.’

It’s on, Sans. It’s freaking on.

You: Who’s there?

After replying, you made sure to put the volume back on your cellphone. The thought of your phone receiving messages or calls didn’t freak you out anymore, now that things with the skeleton brothers seemed to be alright. Well, except for the fact Papyrus still thinks you are madly in love with Sans. Oh boy, now you realized that tomorrow miiight be awkward after all.  
Just how do you explain this, though? Papyrus seemed so happy about this, would it hurt him if you tell him this all was one big misunderstanding? Sans knew it was, and Papyrus wasn’t aware of the truth. Or Sans did tell him, but Papyrus didn’t buy it?

 

Papyrus also helped you carry in the bags, which Growlithe rewarded with another slobbery lick to the face. You could tell your bernese mountain dog loved Papyrus, and Papyrus seemed to like him, too. 

You and the tall skeleton said your goodbyes - another hug for you, this time you expected it and hugged him back, actually - and then went on to putting away your groceries, even though you felt more like just parking your ass back on the couch. But nooo, you had to be a responsible adult, you thought, while taking out the whipped cream and spraying a bit of it into your mouth. 

Your cellphone informed you about a new text message, by it playing an audio file of the Pokemon Growlithe’s cry. Better than your first sound, before you had your beloved dog, you had a fart noise as tone for text messages. Until you realised that people always would turn around to you when it played in public. Aaawkwaard.

Small Cute Marshmallow: daisy.

Daisy? Oh, right. He was telling a knock knock joke.

“Daisy Who?”, you muttered out loud while typing, and hit send. Before you could even put it away again, his reply came in. A fucking gif of a skeleton you’d see in doctor’s offices, or back then in biology classes, riding a segway. And a text right afterwards.   
“daisy me rollin’, they hatin’.”

You did not see that coming, and almost choked on the whipped cream. Eww, now you had some in your nose. That burned. Damn you, Sans, for catching you off-guard with this.

You replied with nothing but “Omg,” then attached the cellphone to the charger, and finished putting away the groceries. The day was still young, you thought about, maybe, leaving the house tonight. You haven’t been out to party for months now. Your one neighbour - a cute elder lady with two of the most precious rottweilers you have ever met - always enjoyed taking Growlithe for a few hours. Just as long as you would come back at a decent time.

Or you could just leave him at home. You would spend the rest of the day with him anyway, and make sure to feed him and take him for a walk. As long as you don’t drink and be home by noon tomorrow, everything should be golden. Just a few hours won’t hurt.

You also had a nice outfit you never got to wear, so going to a club would be the perfect opportunity to finally do that. Okay, it is decided. Whole day Growlithe and nothing but Growlithe, and club when it’s gotten dark.

 

As the hours passed, filled with you being a good pet owner, following a few shows on TV, and discussing details with Papyrus upon the visit tomorrow, you came to realise one problem. You wanted to go out tonight, yeah. But you didn’t really feel safe going alone. Priscilla won’t be available, she would have to work tomorrow, too. You can’t invite the skeleton brothers, and just randomly knocking on a neighbour’s door to ask if someone is up to join you would be sort of weird.

You really needed to make more friends, eventually. Well at least you had the two skeletons now. And Priscilla, you guess. You two exchanged numbers, that was at least sort of a friendship, wasn’t it? You were like that crazy cat lady in all the TV shows, living all alone and despite being nice, not having much friends. Only that instead of cats, you had a dog.

Asking won’t hurt. You send Priscilla a quick text, asking if she might want to join you tonight anyway. The worst thing she could say was “no”.

One hour later, you got a response.

Priscilla: Of course I want to! Sleep is for the weak so let’s meet there around 10 okay?

Jackpot. You should have known, according to Priscilla’s behaviour and personality, that she would never say no to going out.  
You ruffled Growlithes fur, causing him to look up at you and yawn. “Guess who’s going out tonight, Growly?”

He just tilted his head and licked your face, wagging his tail once more. Welp, you had to take a shower anyway, might as well let him lick your face.

 

9pm, you looked at yourself in the mirror. Yeah, this would be fine. Not too eccentric, and not too normal. You threw on a coat this time, grabbing your purse and keys. Growlithe turned around the corner, looking if you were taking the leash or if he could just keep on sleeping in his basket. “See you later, Growly!” You cooed, earning a sneeze from your pawed companion, and he just walked back into the living room.

Priscilla was already waiting for you when you arrived, and as she spotted you, she ran up to you and gave you a big hug. What is it with people hugging you today? Not that you mind, but.

“I already flirted with the bouncer and gave him my number, we can go right in (Y/N),” she informed you, taking your hand and dragging you towards the door. Wow, Priscilla was really popular with the boys, huh? Well at least that will mean you won’t get hit on, you didn’t plan on hooking up with someone. 

The bouncer nodded at you two, opening the doors and letting you both in. The music was loud, it was dark, and smelled like alcohol, cheap perfume, and sweat. You immediately noticed that not only humans were in here. Indeed, also monsters were partying, and each one of them was dancing differently, yet somehow managed to let it fit the music. It was great how the racism towards them wasn’t as high anymore. They still didn’t have all the rights humans had, but they were allowed to vote, own businesses, work as doctors, policemen or teachers… And people slowly started to get used to them. Not all of them, of course, but this city for example; 78% of the population of this city alone was not discriminating them. Which ended in many monsters moving here.

Priscilla dragged you to the bar, ordering cocktails for the both of you, and then went on to talk non-stop about that band she’ll get to see now that you made it happen. It was somehow heartwarming, seeing her talk about this like it was the biggest thing to ever happen in her life. You always enjoyed it when people talked about the things they love. You were a great listener, also.

But eventually, you did want to try your luck on the dancefloor. You fucking sucked at dancing, but in a huge crowd like this, and everyone staring at Priscilla’s ass for sure, no one will ever notice. 

So this time, it was you dragging her, she happily obliged after asking the bartender to watch over your purses - which she managed to make him do by, yes, flirting - but as you maneuvered the two of you through the crowd, you came to a halt. Basically froze. There he was, in the middle of the crowd.

The dancer you instantly crushed over when you saw him. He was right there, unnoticed by the others, moving just as perfectly.

Your heart began to beat faster. Fuck, this was not fair. Why did he have to be there?

“What is it (Y/N)?” Priscilla asked you, following your line of sight once more, and spotting the dancer.

“Wow.” She just breathed. You couldn’t help but agree with an uncomfortable, nervous hum.

“If I would have known he can do something like this, I would have given him _my_ number instead.”

_’What.’_

The dancer turns around, noticing you once more, and he, too, freezes.

_’Please tell me this is not true.’_

You both awkwardly stare at each other. So, your dancer in the dark crush, and your adorable little guy crush…

“H-hi Sans.”

Are the same person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ daisy me rollin’, they hatin’ ](https://framasphere.org/camo/6e617b67b98237e3d314d92d384486168af86219/68747470733a2f2f34392e6d656469612e74756d626c722e636f6d2f31346633343634376431396235613736386662623665613163396634316134632f74756d626c725f6e756168713364646943317530387177696f315f3430302e676966)


	3. dancer in the living room Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonding with your new friends yay!

Sans didn’t answer yet. The only thing he did was pull on his hood to hide his blue flushed face better, and avert his eyes. You didn’t notice it yesterday when he peeked around Papyrus’ legs and flushed in shyness, but this time you could see that indeed, his blush was blue.

Priscilla just looked at him, then you, then back at him and so on, remaining completely silent.

“uh.. h-hi.”

You guessed that was what he said, the loud music combined with the fact he barely whispered made it impossible to understand.

Come on, (Y/N), do something to break this eternal loop of embarrassment. But you couldn’t. You still just stood there, staring at the poor little guy, who tried to turtle more and more into his hoodie. He, too, was completely unable to do anything. Thankfully, you still had Priscilla there, and she decided it was time to do what neither of you was able to.

“So, it’s nice to see you again! But it sucks to just block everyone here wanting to dance so why don’t you join us at the bar and we talk?” She offered. Sans slightly peeked out of his hood, obviously thinking about it.

\---Sans POV---

_’shit, she saw me. wait she was there the other night, too, wasn’t she?_

_shit, oh my god try not to freak out’_

I was unable to move, the only thing I could do was hide my face in my hood like usually. Do not make eye contact, Sans. Do not make any eye contact.

“uh.. h-hi.”

 _‘good job, idiot, you were unable to answer loud enough for them to actually hear it.’_ I scold myself in my thoughts, trying to pull my head even more into the hood and looking absolutely anywhere but in their direction. I can feel my bones shaking, this was too much pressure; I am trying not to hyperventilate.

I love to dance, and I actually like it when people see me, but I don’t want to notice them seeing me.

I just want to teleport away from here, but I don’t want to startle anyone. A monster using magic in the middle of a club? Stupid idea.

Coming here was a stupid idea.

My dance never suited my personality, even monsters can be assholes. I still remember my days back then in the underground when I was a kid, half of the other kids picking on me, Dad never listened. The thought of people recognizing me scares me, in the end making me even more shy.

Just do it already, (Y/N). Laugh. Pick on me.

“So, it’s nice to see you again! But it sucks to just block everyone here wanting to dance so why don’t you join us at the bar and we talk?” The other human suggested.

I don’t know if I should. I slightly peeked out of my hoodie to see their expressions. (Y/N) was still completely frozen and unreadable. The other one looked genuine about that though. Should I say yes?

_I can’t. I just can’t. I don’t want to be laughed at again- wait is (Y/N) blushing?_

_She is.  
The first adult humans to know both sides of me, and neither are laughing._

 

\---Your POV---

Sans just stood there, looking at both of you, before Priscilla did her trademark move and pulled both of you by your sleeves back to the bar. You could tell that the only one not overwhelmed and/or uncomfortable here was her.

Once there she just sat down, turning to the two of you. Neither you nor Sans said a word.  
Or looked at each other.

“Come on guys, nothing on your minds?”, she tried again. You were still too baffled to say anything. Sans was the dancer.

The cute little marshmallow was the hot as fuck dancer.

How are you going to be able to look at him now without flushing. How are you going to be able to play cool now?  
You will hate yourself whenever you do something embarrassing in front of him now.

“i’m… i think i will just leave… i actually wanted to go now anyway because, uh…”

You scared him off, didn’t you?

Shit. You fucked up. You didn’t know how, but you did. You stared at your feet, unable to say anything. Even though identifying him as a dancer… why was it a bad thing to him? Was he unaware of how well he danced? Did he just not want you to know because he knew he was out of your league and didn’t want to have this lame human to fawn over him?

“Already? But you’re so good I actually hoped we could, like, have a drink together and hit the dance floor together?” Priscilla tried to save the situation. This time you were able to say something.

“I can’t even dance, it’s for the best if I don’t go on the dance floor.” You admitted, still with your head hung low. From your peripheral vision, you saw Sans turning his head to you slightly.

 _”Look at him, thinking he can dance. What a loser.”_ Rang in his head. A memory of his childhood.

_”Dad? They picked on me again! Am I really that bad? Is it really that bad I want to dance like this and nothing traditional like you?”_

_“Not now Sans, I am engulfed with an important project.”_

Sans snapped out of it again, shaking his head quickly.

“i think everyone can, if they find a dance that suits them.” was all he mumbled, and then again he looked away. 

“as i said, i-i need to go now.. uhm.. s-sorry for ruining your.. well whatever you were doing.”

Priscilla wanted to protest, but he was already gone, running outside as if the devil himself was chasing him. Well, your night was indeed ruined. But not because of him. Because of yourself. You still tried to figure out what exactly you did wrong. Or maybe you were just over-analysing, and it was just his shyness causing him to flee.

Priscilla looked at you, worried. “(Y/N), are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah, I think..? I don’t know.. What.. What happened just now?”

She rose an eyebrow, turned to the bartender and asked for two more cocktails. Only after he handed them to you and you took your first sip, did she answer. “Well you saw your little crush dancing like one hot motherfucker and he seemed to be extremely shy about it. That is all I have seen here.”

Really? Was it really just over-analysing? You did nothing wrong after all? You looked at your coworker, frowning.

“Damn girl you’re thinking that you fucked something up aren’t you? You really have been single for way too long if you were not noticing he was just shy. Give him time.”

“....Thanks.” This time, it was you initiating the hug. She happily hugged back.

“Anytime, (Y/N)! So, what was that about you can’t dance?”

“I really can’t.”

“Pfff, bullshit! Even if you can’t, how about you learn how to dance like him and impress him, huh? Imagine the look on his face!”

“Imagine the injuries I’d get trying to learn that. This isn’t called breakdance for no reason.” You retorted with a crooked smile. As if you’d ever be halfway as good as him.

“You can still try. Just saying!”

Priscilla really seemed to believe in you. She can be a real gem. The bartender gave you your purses back, walked away, and then returned with two more cocktails. You didn’t even finish the ones you were currently drinking.

“From the gentlemen over there,” he mentioned, pointing to a table across from you. Two, admittedly, very attractive young boys were there, waving at you and winking. You somehow didn’t feel interested in the slightest, however.

Somehow? Bullshit. You couldn’t find them interesting. Not now,that you found out that Sans was the dancer. Priscilla on the other hand got slightly interested, but she couldn’t show it, because she just recently flirted with the bartender. And to admit once more, he was even more attractive. You couldn’t blame her for her preferences.

She flirts a lot, but that doesn’t make her a cheap girl. She just knows how to use her looks and charisma in the right way. She once told you that actually, half of the guys she gave her numbers to ends up getting hooked up by her, with single friends she knew would fit to them perfectly. So it was a win/win.

Your purse vibrated. Someone sent you a message. You felt anxious about that now. What if it’s Sans? Despite Priscilla just having managed to make you feel confident, you were worried again. But well, better be safe than sorry. You pulled it out and checked it. And yes, it was one from Sans.

Small Cute Marshmallow: hey, uh, sorry if i may have seemed rude or something… it was just too much for me to handle. i get nervous when people recognise me…

Relief washed over you, dropping the weight of a million rocks off your heart within a second. He really _was_ just shy. Oh god, now you liked him even more.

Was it unhealthy to crush on someone that hard, that fast? Or was it just you acting like a highschooler again? Do you count as a stalker even if you are not actually stalking?

Nah, you’re good. You’re good, (Y/N). There is nothing wrong about crushing on someone that fast. People make movies, write songs, books and poems about things like instant-crushes and love at first sight. So no one can blame you for that. You weren’t going to hit on him or anything anyway.

You were able to enjoy the rest of the night with Priscilla in the end. Dance, you did not. You just observed Priscilla going wild there, eventually attracting a small group of men, while you just drank your third cocktail and watched, eventually looking down at the screen, unsure how to respond to Sans.

You should definitely answer, yeah. But how? Too much, and you are creepy. Too little, and he might think you are actually mad.

_Priscilla, come on, help._

But nobody came. You will have to do this on your own. Maybe a knock knock joke? Okay, there goes nothing.

You: Knock knock

Ten minutes later, his response finally came.

_who’s there?_

_Santa Snow_

_santa snow who?_

_Santa snow problem message. You worry too much man._

He didn’t respond to that, but you could imagine how relieved he must feel now. Just as relieved as you felt when he confirmed that it was just his shyness.  
Considering how well this all played out, and assuming you will be able to hold back your teenage-girl like behavior when close to a crush, tomorrow might be great. The worst thing to happen would probably be Growlithe crushing the small guy under his weight.

Speaking of, you should probably head home.

Priscilla was still dancing, no way in hell you’ll get her attention now. So you just asked the bartender to tell her you had to go because of your dog, which he agreed to do, paid what you owed him with a little extra, and left. Thankfully, the cocktails didn’t have enough alcohol to actually get you drunk, you only felt dizzy and hot. 

 

Growlithe snuggled to you in bed. Such a cute dog.

 

Once more, the morning routine. Only this time you didn’t have to prepare to go to work, or order food. Instead you borrowed a console with some games from a neighbor and prepared what you needed to cook later on. Growlithe just followed you around, excited, as if he knew that you’d get company today. Who knows maybe Sans and Papyrus will want to join you when you take a walk with him this evening.

He still carried around his stick, looking at the door with perked ears every two minutes and continued following you around. For once, he didn’t even want to take a walk. You took the leash, and he gave a muffled bark, fleeing. Does he think that your company might show up while you’re gone and just go back home? 

“Come on Growlithe, we wanna be back before they show up! Be a good boy!” You tried. To no avail. Fine, then you’ll have to wait till they arrive, and leave them here for a moment to walk him. Just letting them watch a movie to keep them busy or something should do the trick.

 

You glanced at the clock. One hour left. Might as well read a little while waiting. Growlithe was unable to just sit or lay down and chill. He still walked around, looking at the door every now and then with perked ears, and the stick in his mouth. You bet your ass he actually needed the walk badly, but he wanted to make sure the company will be here before you go. If you had a house with a backyard you could have just let him out and it would be all fine. Though, picking up dog feces from your backyard doesn’t sound appealing.

He whined and looked at you, seems like he was getting impatient. 

“Chill boy, they’ll be here soon.” You know he doesn’t understand a word, but hopefully it would sooth him anyway. You began wondering if dog monsters understood the noise of normal dogs, which lead to you being unable to focus on the book any longer, your train of thoughts stopping at the question of if it’s racist or something to assume that dog monsters might understand it.

Do Papyrus and Sans know that humans have skeletons inside them? Would they freak out, or would they see you as “one of them?” How do they even know they are male since skeletons can’t… actually..

Or.. do they?

Growlithe suddenly barking and scratching at the door in sheer excitement startled you enough to let it slide, close your book and walk up to the door. Footsteps. Two people.  
A quiet yelp from behind the door.

“DON’T FRET, BROTHER, THE HUMAN’S DOG IS JUST AS FRIENDLY AS THE HUMAN HERSELF!” Papyrus’ voice came from behind the door. You opened the door before Papyrus got to ring the bell, Growlithe dropping the stick and instantly snuggling to Papyrus, whining happily.

“OH HELLO, HUMAN! HELLO, DOG!” He greeted, ruffling Growlithe’s fur. Yelping once more, Growlithe then paid full attention to Sans, sniffing the small, nervous skeleton and then nudging his head against him. 

You just realized that if Growlithe would stand on his hind legs like he does when he wants to snuggle Paps, he is actually taller than Sans. 

 

“o-oh, uh.. h-hi there. and hello, kid..”

“Come on in! I’ll have to leave you two alone for about 20 minutes though, Growlithe refused to let me walk him before you showed up.”

Papyrus had to pull Sans’ sleeve to make him move inside, once more he didn’t make any eye contact, to the dismay of Growlithe whom tried to show off his beloved stick to him again. After a whine, Sans acknowledged him and hesitantly pet the bernese mountain dog’s head, resulting in him happily wag his tail.

“You can just turn on the TV, make yourselves at home. If you’re thirsty there’s several beverages in the fridge and glasses in the left top shelf. I’ll be back soon!”

“ALRIGHT, HUMAN!”

You called Growlithe over, and this time he obeyed, letting you put on the leash and get out of the apartment. 

The fact you left somehow made Sans more nervous. He never visited a human’s home before, he had no idea about the do’s and don’ts. What if he accidentally broke a rule or something, causing you to hate him and Papyrus forever?  
Well, sitting on the couch with his brother and watching TV doesn’t seem like something that could result in fucking something up. 

Just now, he realized the name you gave to your dog. “Growlithe”

Like, the Pokemon? He came across that video game eventually, at first he disliked it. Humans catching monsters and forcing them to fight each other. But then again, when he saw the TV show once while zapping, it seemed like they’d enjoy it. Also, it’s all fictional, and Undyne for example would have loved that idea to be a thing in real life. 

Maybe he should give the game another chance. Especially if he remembers the fact that most of their names are pretty punny. “Eelectric”. He loved that name for example.

“SANS, DON’T JUST STAND THERE! THERE IS NO NEED TO BE THAT UNCOMFORTABLE!”

“o-oh, yeah. you’re right, bro.”

The couch smelled like you, monsters had a better nose, he could easily identify your scent, the scent of your dog, and the scent of your perfumes you sometimes had on you in the fabric. The scent of strangers, he smelled not. Seems like you only rarely have any company in here. Papyrus turned on the TV, but Sans paid no attention. Instead, he looked around the room from where he was. Despite having a huge, fluffy dog, you kept the floor pretty clean. 

Barely any photos, only one cupboard with 6 framed pictures and that was it. Growlithe as a puppy, seems like that one of them was you as a child with your parents and a brother he guessed, a couple that could have been your grandparents when they were younger - the picture was old and the woman looked a bit like you - another picture of your brother, you with Growlithe and the last one only held a picture of some flowers. You probably couldn’t decide what to put inside. 

Somewhat sad, how empty your apartment walls look. Working at a fast food restaurant you probably had barely enough money to afford the apartment and the dog. Yet you didn’t seem like you were unhappy about it.

\---Your POV---

Finally, you came back, within seconds Growlithe ran up to the couch, parking his butt right between the two skeletons, sniffing them before looking at you - well at the stick in your hand.   
Will he ever not enjoy this thing?

“Hope I didn’t let you two wait for too long, found something interesting?”

“WELCOME BACK, HUMAN AND DOG! SADLY, THE PROGRAMS WERE RELATIVELY BORING. IT LACKS METTATON!”

Mettaton, you heard of him. The #1 TV star of the underground, who was having problems getting his own show on the surface. He was able to do a little bit of everything, but nothing well enough to get sponsored or supported. At least not good enough in the eyes of humanity. A sad truth.

“Oh, well I am pretty sure someone will eventually give him a chance.”

Papyrus hummed, petting Growlithe gently, earning soft licks from your companion.  
At least he didn’t crush Sans under his weight yet. Speaking of Sans, he looked nervous. Well to be honest, you also were nervous. Very nervous, actually. 

But you had to try your best, not be embarrassing and awkward, keep your cool. So, when and if the monsters wanted to play Just Dance, _do not dance._

You hung the leash back up and took off your jacket, and then joined the two skeletons on the couch with two bottles and three glasses. Water and iced tea should do the trick. All you needed now was an idea how to break the awkward silence creeping up here. Only the noise of the TV was currently audible, and as talkative as Papyrus was, he was too busy petting Growlithe to start a conversation.

But, Growlithe to the rescue. Your fluffy companion decided he paid enough attention to Papyrus and now turned his head to Sans, sniffing his face, then licking his cheekbone - seems like he was ticklish, he let a giggle slip out, ended up blushing, but didn’t get to hide better in the hood with the big snout molesting his face - and eventually, Growlithe rested himself on the shorter skeleton’s lap, looking at and hitting Papyrus’ arm with his wagging tail. 

“oof- he’s heavy, heh..”

“THAT MUCH IS TRUE, BUT AT LEAST HE IS NOT INTERESTED IN OUR BONES WHICH I HIGHLY APPRECIATE.”

Thank god, a conversation. Bless you, Growlithe.

“I think he’ll never love something as much as his stick, though. I have no idea how much he’s going to pester you with affection by the way, we never really have company.”

Sans softly scratched the dog behind his ear, the tail-wag whipping got more intense, but Papyrus didn’t mind it as it seemed.

“HOW COME? DON’T YOU LIKE COMPANY?”

You huffed, scratching the back of your head.

“Nah, it’s not like that. I just work a lot, and when I am home I pay full attention to Growly.” You explained, bending over to pet your pal’s head, unintentionally brushing your hand against Sans’, causing him to tense up and blush once more. You didn’t even notice it, the slobbery tongue on your hand was distracting you too much.

Papyrus did notice it, though. And he decided to be a backstabbing bitch.

“OH, YOU KNOW, (Y/N), WE DON’T GET COMPANY OFTEN, EITHER. ESPECIALLY SANS HAS PROBLEMS SOCIALIZING BECAUSE OF HIM BEING SHY. BUT AT LEAST WE NOW HAVE YOU AND THE DOG!”

The noise that came from Sans was probably the second most adorable thing you have ever heard; the little barks of Growlithe when he was still a puppy forever being the first place. Growlithe mistook the noise as something bad, and invaded the poor guy’s personal space even more with a worried whine, his head nuzzling between his cheekbone and vertebrae, slipping off the hood and flashing both of you with the flustered mess that is his face.

You never saw him without the hood before, so you had no idea how round his head actually was. God, he was so fucking cute. Sans yelped, quickly pulling the hood back up.

“THIS IS PRECISELY WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.” Papyrus sighed, shaking his head. 

“Well I’d rather be as shy as him than as awkward and embarrassing as I am.”

Now both skeletons looked at you, both puzzled.

“HOW ARE YOU AWKWARD AND EMBARRASSING?”

Wait, didn’t they realize? You’ve been an idiot ever since Papyrus met you with a pizza in his hand. Or is the monster equivalent to that even worse than your behaviour?

“Welp, nevermind, I think? H-hey let’s just change the topic! You wanna play video games or watch a movie?” You offered, feeling your cheeks heat up.

The skeletons look at each other, shrugging. Fine, you just grabbed the remote, changing the channel and turning on the console.

“Since both of you like dancing, we’ll play this, then.”

Papyrus’ face lit up, while Sans looked even more pale. He is white as snow how is that even possible. Papyrus jumped on his feet, all eager, causing Growlithe to hurriedly move over and stare at him in curiosity. But then he got all tense and turned to look at you.

“WAIT… (Y/N), DID YOU _SEE_ MY BROTHER DANCING?”

You heard another adorable noise and a gulp from Sans.

“Uh…”

What should you say…?


End file.
